The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party was in disarray. Since the groups creation in 1900 they had been competing against other numerous ideologies in Russia. They believed that only the industrial working classes of Russia would be able to carry out a successful revolution. A revolution in the name of Marxism. But the group was in an endless argument over what their beliefs should be and where they should go to further them. They originally believed that they had to educate the people in the fundamentals of Marxism, so they would realise their position and overthrow the owners, or the bourgeoisie. Then a new communist state would be formed. But some were starting to question how they should carry out this.
One of the most committed members of the SD Party was Vladimir Lenin. He was tired of the countless arguments and wanted action. He saw the debates as never-ending without anything being resolved. So in response to the constant debates he wrote "What is to be done?". And to prove that there was no question or doubt to what he was proposing, he took the title from a revolutionary paper written decades before.
He immediately began to attack other party members who were content to wait while history took its predetermined course to a better future. But rather than wait for an event that may never happen, he was determined to kick-start the issue and move the revolution into gear before it was too late.
Marx had theorised a revolution. He had said in the Communist Manifesto that the downfall of capitalism was inevitable. He had theorised that eventually, the suffering that it brought upon the people would lead them to rise up in a revolution that would open the way to a new future. And Lenin believed that they would be waiting a very long time.
<div align="right]"I remember we were sitting at the oak table, again discussing the roads that our beliefs should take. And then Lenin walked in,
with excitement in his stride. He arrived at the table, and laid down a book in front of Julius Martov. And then he said, in as serious a voice as he
could muster: "This is the future, comrades." I was not sure what to do, what to say. But as I looked around the table, I could see, as he
explained his basic ideas, that some were already convinced that Lenin would be their way to the revolution."
Nikolai Dmitriev, "The Social Democrats" (//fictional book), written by Alek Ermakov in 1912
Orthodox Marxism:
• Eventually the workers will become educated, organised and angry at their conditions.
The peasants:
Lived in the countryside.
Were mostly illiterate.
Mostly farmers.
Superstitious.
Religious (Believing the current Czar to be a God).
Conservative (Do not like change).
Tended to make up the bulk of the Czar's Armies, and could be relied upon to crush any revolution.
The workers:
Lived in cities.
Literacy rates were growing.
Employed in the factories.
Former peasants who moved to the cities.
Have been through massive changes.
Open to ideas of chance.
Living conditions are very poor. These points give the workers revolutionary potential.
• Then there will be a spontaneous uprising, sweeping capitalism away and a new, communist phase of history will begin.
Lenin:
• This will never happen in Russia, where 80% of the population are peasants. They haven't got a revolutionary consciousness.
• He believed a committed band of revolutionaries should make the revolution, then turn the people into communists afterwards.
• This is essentially the reverse of what Marx had said.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
Due to Lenin's heavy influence in the Social Democrats, many saw his idea as the perfect answer: An end to the na?ve and wishful thinking that infected the revolutionary underground and on to some practical work. But there were many who still kept their beliefs in the old ways, and there was only one solution: The Social Democrats split.
Ironically, the Mensheviks translated into "the Minority", but they had more members then the new Leninist group, the Bolsheviks. This was also ironic, as the name translated into "the Majority". By 1905, the two groups had completely split, with many members switching between the two at the time and over the years to come. Many attempts were made to "heal the rift", but Lenin was resolute that the Bolsheviks were better off without the Mensheviks. He wanted no members who were not 100% committed to his cause. He wanted those who would be prepared to fight, kill and die for the common goal.
Lenin used the events of the time to his advantage. He promised to pull Russia out of World War One, which was draining Russia of her resources, and attempt to make peace with the Germans. With the dissolution of the bourgeiosie class, he promised to redistribute the land to the peasants and give them power in each of their own rural communities. The working conditions in the factories were horrific, so Lenin used that to promise the workers soviets in factories, which would work to improve the working conditions and general lifestyles of those who worked in them. This mixture of beliefs and tactics ensured that the Bolsheviks had large crowds of support from both the urban and rural areas.
This rally of supporters and mass-educating of beliefs was in in preparation for a large-scale revolution that would sweep across a large portion of Russia. And whilst the Mensheviks tried to gain support, they were being beaten by the Bolsheviks, who promised to give all that the people wanted. The Mensheviks could not compete with that, and the Bolsheviks continued to attract new members. Even some Menshevik members began to switch sides, including the great tactician Leon Trotsky.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
The day finally came on Januray 9th, 1917. Up until late November, the country was really run by Rasputin. He had complete control over the Czar and Czarina. The Czar, Nicholas II, referred to Rasputin as a "holy man" and as "our friend". The Czar and Czarina saw him as a man of God and a religious prophet, so it was even more devastating when he was assassinated.
But his death sparked the beginning of the Revolution. After his death, the Czar decided to make his own decisions. He had not wanted to be a Czar, and had no training of how to run a country. The Army began to divert food from the cities to the front line in an effort to keep the soldiers fed. It was taken along the rail network, but most of it didn't even reach it's intended destination due to the disorganisation of the army.. It rotted in warehouses. And to finance the war, the government simply printed bank notes, causing inflation. And this meant that the last source of food for the workers, the peasants, hoarded the food.
And now, on January 9th, the first strikes began in Petrograd. At this time, there were virtually no Bolsheviks in Russia because they were all in exile. The 140,000 strike comemorated Bloody Sunday, where unarmed demonstrators were gunned down by the Imperial Guard. But this was nothing compared to what was to come.
On the 31st of January, more strikes followed. And then again on February the 14th, where over 100,000 workers strike in Petrograd, not knowing what else to do due to the food shortages. Demonstrations began in Petrograd on the 23rd, with a crowd of 100,000 forming. But through all of this, the Bolsheviks are opposed to the revolution because if it succeeded, if the strikers took down the Czar, then the Bolsheviks would not be in charge.
<div align="right]"The sounds of the crowd were deafening, with different motto's being chanted by everyone involved. It sounded more like a
garbled mess then a revolutionary crowd. But our demands weren't anything extreme, my children and I just wanted some food.
We were so hungry, we didn't know what else to do besides protest."
Polina Filippov, an extract found in archives.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
On the 24th of February, the strikes continued to grow, with small soviets beginning to form in various factories and communities. And on the 25th, the strike reached it's total of over 200,000, and violence was increasing. Demands for bread had changed into damnations of the Czar. Workers representitives were arrested by the police, with the Cossacks, the Czar's army who fight with honour, fighting the police to protect the protestors. On the 26th the Czar made his final mistake. Upon hearing off the events in Petrograd from the front line, he ordered the use of military force to break up the strike. Troops began to fire on the protestors, but soon mutiny. The crowd's opinion of the Czar had changed from a bad ruler to a physical threat.
Over the next few days, two groups were formed: The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' Deputies and the Provisional Government, both working with eachother after the abdication of the Czar. The Bolsheviks had no power in this new Government, and knew that if they wanted power they had to act before the election of a new Government to replace to provisional one.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.